August 2008
Baby bottles without bisphenol A
Concerns are on the rise about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA. It’s used to make a variety of food containers, including
some plastic baby bottles. The federal government has issued a draft report on BPA’s health risks for infants and children.
And Canada recently moved to ban BPA in baby bottles. Consumer Reports has just run tests to find the best options for parents.
Consumer Reports' medical adviser, Dr. Orly Avitzur, says newer studies suggest health risks for children from BPA. Based on the latest laboratory research, the National Institutes of Health has discovered that BPA exposure during development may affect the brain and the reproductive system (through its ability to mimic activity of the hormone estrogen), and may cause other health problems.
Bisphenol A is found in many kinds of containers, including baby bottles made of polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a hard, translucent plastic that can be clear or colored. Containers made of polycarbonate may have the recycling code #7 on the bottom, and sometimes the letters “PC.”
Some stores and Web sites now sell plastic baby bottles labeled “without BPA,” or “Bisphenol-A Free.” Consumer Reports used an outside lab that specializes in plastic analysis to test several of these bottles, and found that BPA levels in them were negligible.
The bottles we tested are better choices if you want to use plastic and still limit your baby’s exposure to BPA. Another option for parents concerned about BPA is to use glass baby bottles. But you have to handle these with care, of course, because they may break.
The baby bottles we tested that have a negligible level of BPA are BornFree, Evenflo Classic without BPA Custom Flow, Medela Breast Milk Feeding and Storage Set, Nuby Non-Drip by Luv n’care, and MAM Silk-Touch Nipple Anti-Colic Valve by Sassy, Inc.
Consumer Reports' medical adviser, Dr. Orly Avitzur, says newer studies suggest health risks for children from BPA. Based on the latest laboratory research, the National Institutes of Health has discovered that BPA exposure during development may affect the brain and the reproductive system (through its ability to mimic activity of the hormone estrogen), and may cause other health problems.
Bisphenol A is found in many kinds of containers, including baby bottles made of polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a hard, translucent plastic that can be clear or colored. Containers made of polycarbonate may have the recycling code #7 on the bottom, and sometimes the letters “PC.”
Some stores and Web sites now sell plastic baby bottles labeled “without BPA,” or “Bisphenol-A Free.” Consumer Reports used an outside lab that specializes in plastic analysis to test several of these bottles, and found that BPA levels in them were negligible.
The bottles we tested are better choices if you want to use plastic and still limit your baby’s exposure to BPA. Another option for parents concerned about BPA is to use glass baby bottles. But you have to handle these with care, of course, because they may break.
The baby bottles we tested that have a negligible level of BPA are BornFree, Evenflo Classic without BPA Custom Flow, Medela Breast Milk Feeding and Storage Set, Nuby Non-Drip by Luv n’care, and MAM Silk-Touch Nipple Anti-Colic Valve by Sassy, Inc.
MAM Silk-Touch Nipple Anti-Colic Valve by Sassy, Inc.
Evenflo Classic without BPA Custom Flow
Nuby Non-Drip by Luv n'care
BornFree
Medela Breast Milk Feeding and Storage Set
